Chapter 2: The Test

Several cultivators were about to speak again when suddenly, an unbearably scorching aura erupted from Lin Hao before them. Their expressions froze, disbelief evident on their faces.

“How… how is this possible? Didn’t we already—”

“Didn’t you already destroy my qi sea? Heh…” Lin Hao gazed at the red lotus flame in his palm as he walked toward them, his voice calm but laced with ridicule. “Trash, you say? To be honest, that title suits you all much better.”

Seeing Lin Hao’s approach, fear immediately appeared on the faces of the cultivators.

After all, Lin Hao had been a favorite in the recent inner selection of the Qingfeng Sect. If not for Zhou Yichen obtaining a treasure from his father, the deacon elder, these few would never have been his match.

Nonetheless, after a brief silence, the lead cultivator shouted, “Don’t be afraid! He’s just bluffing! We saw with our own eyes as his qi sea was destroyed. He can’t possibly have recovered his strength!”

Lin Hao recognized him: Chen Yufei, one of the more talented among the outer disciples, though for reasons unknown, he’d sided with Zhou Yichen and become his top lackey.

Hearing Chen Yufei, the other cultivators quickly nodded in agreement. “That’s right! This guy is pretending. Let’s take him together!”

As soon as the words left their lips, their figures flickered, and several azure longswords soared into the sky, transforming into countless sword-lights that rained down on Lin Hao like a storm.

In an instant, dazzling lights exploded, the sword-lights shattering rocks and trees to dust. Yet at the center, Lin Hao merely smiled faintly. He stepped forward and shouted, “Petty tricks! Break for me!”

Boom!

As soon as the word left his lips, the Taiching Purple Profound Art surged within him. A beam of scarlet light shot skyward, the massive red lotus transforming into karmic fire, surging toward the cultivators like a tidal wave. The seemingly unstoppable sword-lights were instantly consumed by the scarlet glow, leaving no trace behind.

“Ah!”

The foremost cultivator was instantly engulfed by the flames. His sixth-layer Qi Refining strength was as nothing before the power of the Taiching Purple Profound Art. In the blink of an eye, the inferno claimed him; he only managed a single scream before falling unconscious.

The others, seeing the turn of events, abandoned their bravado and fled in terror.

“Stop!” Lin Hao would not let them escape so easily. With a flicker, he blocked their path once more.

“Senior brother, mercy! It wasn’t our idea! We were only following orders—Chen Yufei made us do it!” The cultivators’ legs buckled as they fell to their knees, begging for mercy.

Chen Yufei’s face turned green at their words. He hastily crawled over to Lin Hao and said, “No, no, it wasn’t my idea either! Elder Zhou ordered me to do this!”

“Elder Zhou?” Lin Hao frowned.

He knew who Chen Yufei meant. Zhou Yichen only dared target him because of Elder Zhou’s position. As a deacon elder, Zhou Yichen’s father had, by all accounts, reached the Golden Core stage years ago and was one of the Qingfeng Sect’s three innate experts. If nothing unexpected happened, he might even be the next Sect Master.

Now, to have caught the attention of someone like him—this was troublesome!

Seeing Lin Hao’s reaction, Chen Yufei hurried to nod. “That’s right. Elder Zhou, after hearing about you, wanted to avoid any leaks and so sent us to finish things.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Lin Hao laughed coldly, though his mind was already weighing other matters.

Since Elder Zhou was concerned about word getting out, there must still be things within the sect that gave him pause. If that was the case, Lin Hao might yet have a chance. Besides—with the system at his disposal, there was little to fear!

Lin Hao clenched his fist, a hint of resolve showing on his face.

At that moment, seeing his expression soften, Chen Yufei seized the opportunity. “Since it wasn’t our wish to do this—”

“So, you wish to live?” Lin Hao lowered his head slightly, his voice soft.

“Yes! If you’ll spare us—” The cultivators, sensing hope, nodded fervently.

“That won’t do!” Before they could finish, Lin Hao cut them off and waved his right hand. A blaze of fire shot skyward, instantly engulfing them all.

Though only at the initial stage, the Taiching Purple Profound Art, when pushed to its limit, left these few cultivators no chance to resist. Their screams quickly faded into silence.

Only then did Lin Hao speak again, his voice low, “You’re all precious quest points—how could I let you go so easily… Blast! I forgot to ask where Zhou Yichen is!”

Thinking of Zhou Yichen, Lin Hao slapped his forehead.

Though Zhou Yichen was also an outer disciple, thanks to his father’s status he lived in the inner sect unless urgent matters called him away. With Lin Hao’s current cultivation, getting close would be no easy feat.

“No matter—it’s only a side quest. If it can’t be done, I’ll set it aside for now. The main thing is to find out what Elder Zhou is so concerned about.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Hao reached his conclusion. He quickly tidied up signs of his battle with Chen Yufei and the others, then hurried toward the front of the Qingfeng Sect.

Descending from Qingyuan Peak, twilight was falling. Still, Lin Hao noticed the road was lined with far more disciples than before—many dressed as inner sect members. Clearly, something had happened within the sect during his absence.

As Lin Hao observed them, the inner sect disciples were studying him in turn. One young man frowned and said to his companion, “Is that Lin Hao?”

“Yes, Senior Brother Chu!” replied the more experienced disciple respectfully. “It’s said that in just half a month, he advanced from a good-for-nothing who couldn’t cultivate to the tenth layer of Qi Refining, becoming the outer sect’s rising star.”

“Half a month?” The young man’s face showed surprise. “That’s even more impressive than our most talented inner disciples.”

He glanced at Lin Hao again, thinking, “This fellow must have had a remarkable encounter—no wonder even the Tianmen envoy has taken an interest in him.”

Lin Hao, of course, had no idea what the two were discussing. His mind was full of Elder Zhou and, noticing the inner sect disciples’ glances, he grew cautious and quickened his pace.

Having recently completed a main quest, he now had over a thousand quest points. Though not enough to buy the intermediate manual of the Taiching Purple Profound Art, it was more than enough to purchase pills to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

With that in mind, Lin Hao wasted no time. In a flash, he was dozens of yards away.

By the time he returned to his outer sect dwelling, night had fallen. But as he walked toward his room, his expression abruptly changed to one of vigilance.

He’d sensed the presence of an unfamiliar aura within his quarters.

“Could Elder Zhou have come for me already?”

Lin Hao frowned, crouched low, and drew two talismans from his storage pouch, each glowing faintly red.

These were Scarlet Flame Talismans—yellow-grade spirit talismans he’d purchased for two hundred quest points from the system shop. Used in conjunction with his Taiching Purple Profound Art, they wouldn’t defeat a Golden Core expert, but would certainly buy him time.

Just then, the person inside seemed to notice him. A cold voice called out, “What, do you—a mere Qi Refining cultivator—intend to challenge me?”

A woman?

Hearing the voice, Lin Hao’s face changed again, though he remained calm. “I wouldn’t dare! My name is Lin Hao. May I know who you are?”

Since joining the Qingfeng Sect, Lin Hao had rarely interacted with female cultivators. Even as he spoke, he was guessing at the intruder’s identity.

“Liu Xiaoxi. In your sect’s terms, you ought to address me as Envoy,” the cold voice responded. Then, with a sweep of wind, a young woman of stunning beauty—her features frosted with indifference—appeared before him.

“Envoy?” Lin Hao was momentarily taken aback, a hint of confusion on his face.

This woman was clearly no ordinary person, yet he’d never heard of her.

Wait—she’d just said… ‘your sect’?

Lin Hao realized something was amiss. Remembering the inner sect disciples he’d seen that evening, a chill ran through him. His gaze toward the young woman grew complicated.

Could she be some great figure after all?